Jalen Hurts looks sharp, and other observations from Eagles open practice

PHILADELPHIA -- Unlike some teams that have multiple practices open to fans during training camp, the Philadelphia Eagles have just one, and it was held on Thursday night at Lincoln Financial Field. The flocks of fans who braved the extremely warm weather to cheer on the Birds were treated to an entertaining and eventful practice session that lasted a little over two hours.

The fans that lined the rows of the Linc got a first-hand look at new additions like star running back Saquon Barkley and rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, as well as familiar faces such as Brandon Graham and Jalen Hurts. But, if you couldn't make it out to the festivities, fear not. We've got you covered. Here's a handful of observations from Philadelphia's lone open practice of 2024.

Incredible turnout on a scorching day

If you were in the Greater Philadelphia Area on Thursday afternoon and happened to look at the weather app on your phone, you were greeted with a severe weather alert that included strong sun and a real feel nearly in the triple digits. You could feel every degree of that heat in the flat, completely unshaded plot of land fondly known as the South Philadelphia Sports Complex.

Rogue ice on the asphalt melted in mere seconds, and the mountains on a cold Coors Light changed from a deep blue to a dull gray in a matter of minutes once removed from the cooler. But, these sweat-inducing conditions didn't deter thousands upon thousands of Philadelphia football fans from showing support for the Birds.

Nearly 50,00 fans showed up for the open practice, per the team, and it was a boisterous crowd. The obligatory "E-A-G-L-E-S" chant rang out consistently, broken up at one point by a "Dallas sucks" chant. There was even a full-on wave that went around the lower bowl of the stadium several times.

And remember, this was a practice (insert Allen Iverson GIF here). On a weeknight. Eagles fans are nothing if not passionate.

Jalen Hurts, first-team offense looked sharp

All eyes were on the offense during open practice, as fans were eager to see how the unit looked after switching coordinators and adding a star back in Barkley over the offseason. The short answer is that the starting offense -- led by Hurts -- looked sharp.

The offense was consistently able to move the ball down field and put up points on the first-team defense. Dallas Goedert, specifically, had a great practice that included three touchdown catches. It looked like Hurts made an effort to look for Goedert when the offense was in the red zone, so perhaps that will be something that translates to the regular season.

Goedert has never had more than five touchdowns in a season. If the open practice was any indication, it wouldn't be surprising to see him surpass that number in 2024. The guy who was throwing Goedert the ball looked pretty good, too.

Hurts was crisp and decisive with his throws all night, and he was also able to make some nice plays with his feet. His accuracy stood out, especially in the red zone where he made smart, timely throws. In total, Hurts went 19 for 24 with five touchdowns and zero interceptions on the day, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP. Overall, Hurts' play -- and the play of the entire first string offense -- was pretty promising.

Defensive report card: Inconclusive

Typically in a scrimmage, if the offense plays really well, that means the defense didn't, and that was the case at this practice. While that's a bit of a reductive recap, it's also pretty accurate. There were some solid individual moments, but as a unit the defense definitely didn't dominate.

The Eagles made a plethora of changes to the defense over the offseason, including the coordinator, but it was tough to tell just how good the Birds will be on that side of the ball based on a single open practice. The first-team offense got the best of the defense in 11-on-11 scrimmages, but how much does that really mean? Philadelphia's offense is stacked, and it was still just a practice, even though there was a clear intensity on the field.

Both sides of the ball are integrating new concepts under new coordinators, and perhaps the offense is a little further along than the defense. It's still very early in camp, and there's still over a month until the regular season opener -- plenty of time to tighten things up.

Rough first impression for Pickett

While Hurts looked great, the same can't be said for his backup. The Eagles acquired Kenny Pickett over the offseason, but the former Steeler didn't make the best first impression in front of Eagles fans. The drop-off in QB play from Hurts to Pickett was obvious, as Pickett looked indecisive at times and struggled to make plays. Pickett was sacked on a couple of occasions -- including once by rookie linebacker Jeremiah Trotter Jr. -- and practice ended with him throwing a a pass that was intercepted by Eli Ricks.

As a backup, the hope is that Pickett won't have to play much, if at all, in 2024, and his performance at open practice didn't necessarily inspire confidence.

More open practices, please

Some teams, like the Cincinnati Bengals, have quite a few practices that are open to fans. Yet, the Eagles, who are immensely popular and have millions of fans, have just one. It's criminal. They used to have more, and they should go back to having two, at minimum.

Fans want to see the Eagles up close, and the open practice provides a fun, affordable opportunity to do just that. Plus, the team still makes a pretty penny in concessions and merchandise and raises a bunch of money for the Eagles Autism Foundation. It's a win-win situation. Hopefully, more open sessions are added in the future.